My Part of the World: Let’s Count Our Blessings At Christmas Time

As we prepare to celebrate another Christmas holiday with family and friends, we are reminded to count our blessings in spite of the many challenges that we face, personally and as a community.

I had an opportunity to walk and talk with Andy Young this week as we toured the models for the new National Center for Civil and Human Rights that is scheduled to open in 2014.

He told me about one of his recent sermons taken from one of Paul’s letters to the early church. He called it the “bad toenail” sermon. Young said that everything can be okay or even good, but if you have a bad toenail, that’s what gets all your attention. I was telling him that I loved his newest documentary on the Jimmy Carter presidency, because it felt like such a love letter.

He told me that was his intent. “I like to focus on the positive,” Young said. “Me, too,” I replied.

So, that’s my Christmas wish for everyone. Let’s focus on the good. There’s enough bad stuff going on in the world that we have to report and know about. But, I like to keep the focus of the ADW on the positive and uplifting things that are going on in our community.

As we come to the end of the year, feeling the sorrow from the shooting of little children in Newtown, Connecticut, let’s feel inspired by the heroes and sheroes from that horrific attack. And let’s be determined to do what we can to make things better. Let’s do more to regulate guns. Let’s provide more help for people suffering from mental illness. Let’s work together regardless of political affiliation.

It almost feels like we are about to experience change we can believe in. I think President Barack Obama’s re-election is finally setting in and we are getting our faith back to believe that yes, we can make a difference. We can make better public policy that helps more people and saves more lives.

Especially at this time of year, we have another opportunity to be reminded that we have a true role model to follow on how to lead a good life. We celebrate the birth of the son of God, who came into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. Hallelujah!